[ale] [OT] First Programming Language for Adult??

[Ed Cashin]

Wow.  The real answer would be a great book or series of books.

But because you know I'm not going to answer with a series of books, I
suppose a highly condensed summary of my own biases and perspectives will
be welcome.

I like your idea of introducing python and Java next, for these reasons:

  * Learning any language is good.  You gain insight into how intelligent
people who are not you think about solving problems, and you improve your
ability to learn programming languages and idioms.  This meta skill is
significantly more valuable than any specific skill.

  * Python is hugely popular, with mature and well used libraries and sets
of documentation.  It is a great representative of a dynamic scripting
language.

  * Java is highly popular but is kind of clunky.  It is great to know it,
but it's also good to be aware that people are using things like Scala to
use the JVM without so much clunk.  (Again, this is a biased personal
perspective.)

For going beyond, I might suggest Go.  It is not wildly popular and is very
different in other ways from the other two.  Its designers are smart people
with broad backgrounds, and as a language, it is exceptionally current in
its design goals.

  http://golang.org/

It has an online "tour" that can be used as an educational tool.

I'm assuming you know about Code Academy.  I'll go out on a limb and assert
that everyone needs to know Javascript today, and it's pretty easy to pick
it up there.  Douglas Crockford's lectures will help tighten up a casual
introduction to Javascript if serious use is imminent.



On Thu, May 29, 2014 at 3:17 PM, Tom Freeman <tfreeman at intel.digichem.net>
wrote:

>
> My apologies for using up people's bandwidth for something not really
> linux, but this list is the best resource I know of for access to computer
> people with an insane breadth of backgrounds and opinions. And they are
> willing to share.
>
> A few days ago my daughter asked for an opinion as to a computer language
> for her to learn. No, she doesn't have a project in mind, which would have
> at least focused the discussion a little bit. She is a university
> librarian, however, should that have any bearing on the discussion. She has
> access to a moderate amount of materials for "Alice", which apparently her
> school uses for programming introduction.
>
> My advice, which should be considered highly flawed, was to take advantage
> of the "Alice" materials as a first, quick step. Follow that with perhaps
> either some work in Python or Java, with the Java due to her constant
> involvement in tiny web projects.
>
> If the Python or Java settles, and the itch continues, I was suggesting a
> second language, possibly data base oriented for the library work, or
> something derived from either FORTH or LISP for the mind expansion
> properties. As yet another alternative - cshell(?) since she prefers the
> macintoy.
>
> (I had a relative utterly in love with FORTH and very good at it also.
> Unfortunately, he thought _everybody_ should program in it... Not a very
> successful idea unfortunately.)
>
> The multipart question here seems to be:
> 1) Is there a proper solid resource for building some programming skill
> that I should have know about and don't?
> 2) Did I suggest a moderately reasonable approach in the eyes of people
> who _actaully_ program?
> 3) Is there probably a better approach I should have known about?
>
> Thanks to all for the use of their bandwidth.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Ale mailing list
> Ale at ale.org
> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
> See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
>



-- 
  Ed Cashin <ecashin at noserose.net>
  http://noserose.net/e/
  http://www.coraid.com/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.ale.org/pipermail/ale/attachments/20140529/02de6df2/attachment.html>